Ponnam accuses previous BRS government of mishandling RTC; Harish Rao refutes allegations

HYDERABAD: Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar accused the previous BRS government of deliberately weakening the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGRTC).

In response to a question raised by BRS MLAs T Harish Rao, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, and others during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Ponnam Prabhakar alleged that the then BRS government, by appointing a retired Executive Director as the Managing Director, had rendered the RTC ineffective.

He criticised the formation of a committee on RTC employees, claiming that the committee was formed without any consultation with the employees or the RTC management. He condemned the opposition for politicising the issue, inciting employees, and misleading them into believing that the Governor was blocking approvals.

After dissolving the unions themselves, Prabhakar questioned the BRS party's right to speak on union issues. He challenged the opposition to apologise to the employees and questioned their concerns, citing their indifference during a 50-day strike when employees suffered.

The Minister highlighted the current government's achievements, including the procurement of new buses under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, clearing Rs 80 crore out of Rs 280 crore in pending bonds since 2013, and not misusing employees' Provident Fund (PF) and Centralised Control System (CCS) funds. He criticised the previous government for utilising Rs 4,000 crore of employees' funds and leaving the RTC with a debt of Rs 7,000 crore.

Prabhakar mentioned that the RTC was being paid Rs 300 crore per month under the Mahalakshmi scheme, which has provided free bus travel to nearly seven crore women across Telangana. He praised the development of advanced medical facilities at Tarnaka Hospital and announced ongoing recruitment for 3,035 positions. He commended RTC drivers and conductors for their hard work and noted an increase in occupancy to 95%.

He asserted that the current government was committed to RTC employees' welfare and public transport services, promising future actions for employees' benefits. He criticised the opposition for attempting to sell RTC assets at lower prices to party affiliates. He claimed that the previous government did not allocate sufficient funds in the budget for RTC, providing only Rs 400 crore out of Rs 1,500 crore.

Earlier, Harish Rao raised concerns about the increased workload on RTC employees and demanded clarity on the timeline for their merger into government service. He questioned the delay in monthly payments for the Mahalakshmi scheme and its impact on employee benefits.

"While we welcome and appreciate the Mahalakshmi scheme, is it true that monthly bills are not being cleared? What is the amount owed to RTC by the government under this scheme, and how much has been paid so far? Is it true that employee PF and CCS funds are being used to pay salaries due to non-payment? When will these funds be released?" Harish Rao demanded.

He highlighted the previous government's commitment to RTC employees: "When we were in power, we gave RTC workers a 44% fitment compared to 43% for government employees. The previous governments allocated a meager Rs 100 crore and Rs 200 crore in their budgets, but we allocated Rs 1000 crore, Rs 1500 crore, and another Rs 1500 crore to save the RTC."

Harish Rao directly questioned the Transport Minister about the eight-hour work limit stipulated by the Motor Transport Act, alleging that drivers and conductors, including women, are being forced to work for 16-18 hours, leading to stress and even deaths. He questioned if the government is aware of the increased burden on employees due to the Mahalakshmi scheme and the lack of new recruitments.

"Is the government aware that hundreds of employees are dying due to work pressure because they are forced to work 16-18 hours? Has the government considered the increased workload due to the Mahalakshmi scheme and the lack of new drivers and conductors? When will the recruitment process be initiated?" he asked.

Harish Rao urged the government to avoid political manoeuvring and provide a specific date for merging RTC employees into government service. He appealed to the Speaker and the Transport Minister to give a clear assurance to the hopeful RTC employees of the state.